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At the Institute’s core is the Gilder Lehrman Collection, one of the great archives in American history. More than 85,000 items cover five hundred years of American history, from Columbus’s 1493 letter describing the New World through the end of the twentieth century.

Buchanan, James, 1791-1868 to Ezra B. Chase

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Gilder Lehrman Collection #: GLC00529.06 Author/Creator: Buchanan, James, 1791-1868 Place Written: Lancaster, Pennsylvania Type: Autograph letter signed Date: November 7, 1851 Pagination: 2 p. : Height: 25 cm, Width: 20 cm Order a Copy

Buchanan states his position on slavery and the legal implications of enslaved people seeking emancipation. Buchanan strongly supports the Compromise of 1850 and the Fugitive Slave Act, and believes it will reduce sectional strife. He is "decidedly in favor of 'the finality' of the compromise measures" and finds that the Compromise favors the North, except for the Fugitive Slave Law. Mentions the Democrats of Pennsylvania repealed a law preventing jails providing shelter to enslaved people on the run. He has received many congratulations from the South for his work on this cause. He concludes with election news. Written at Wheatland, Buchanan's estate in Lancaster.

Buchanan, James, 1791-1868
Chase, Ezra B., 1826-1894

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